Kitsune, try watching anime in japanese. Start with sub-titles and then move on to no subs just a japanese-english dictionary. So far it's been working, I can't speak it but I can piece together sentances if someone else is speaking it. Also, try flash cards with the dictionary, pick a word for the day and write it down on an index card, after a week quiz yourself. I know it sounds stupid and like something you do when your 5, but it really works. If you want a little more rewarding, try writting hiku's in japanese, drag out the dictionary and take an hour to relax and write something pretty. Just the same, try translating hiku's into english, there are plenty on-line to start with. To all those learning languages of ol' or even those of today, good luck!

Maybe now you're starting to understand that while I may have been born predispositioned to be pretty batty, my parents saw to it that it was a certainty and completely unavoidable. -Me

Kitsune, it is a very tough language to learn. Esp if you're not exposed to it every day.
I studied Japanese Language and Culture as my uni study. I still regret not spending my second year in Japan.....and by not reading/writing it everyday, i only have basic skills left.

Ah oui, ca va. Et vous? j'ai besion de pratique aussi, mon francais... c'est affreux! J'apprend pour quatre ans.... err......
I learnt for four years at school but it's been another four years since I studied it or really used it at all. So my vocab and grammar are terrible!

Yes, Daibanjo, I'm a Gog Ydychi'n gwybod yr ardal Conwy? Rydwi'n dod o'r Penmaenmawr, 20 munud o'r pentre Conwy! I'm second language Welsh and unfortunately I speak it very rarely. I'm always afraid of talking myself into a maze and getting lost! With written Welsh it is much easier for me to understand, especially in posts like this where there is a time delay so I have enough time to compose my answer and make sure it says what I mean it to say!

Languages is my favourite topic I study Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, and I hope to go into forensic linguistics once I've graduated.

Latin is pretty cool, Windwalker, there's something so mysterious about a dead language! I don't know much about Roman history in as far as it doesn't relate to the occupation of Britain, but it must be so fascinating to be able to read ancient documents and things. I'm interested in how ancient Egyptian would have sounded but as there are no vowels represented by hieroglyphs that road is a little barred to linguists at the moment.

I've learnt to pronounce some phonemes (units of sound) used in Japanese, like the first phoneme in 'Fuji' which is not an /f/ the way native English speakers would pronounce it. If you round your lips and blow through them making an 'oo' sound ( ) at the same time, that's the right phoneme!

"If you trust in yourself and believe in your dreams and follow your star...you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy. Goodbye." - Miss Tick, Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men

Stormy wrote:Which begs the question - What should we call ourselves when asked by total or near total strangers?

I usually start with pagan. If the person I'm addressing then says "Oh, you're Wiccan", I respond with a negative and explain that I am a celtic/brythonic polytheist. Usually, they go quiet and leave it at that.